Star Trek: Tranquility
by althechi
Summary: A series set between TMP and TWOK, tracking the voyages of the USS Tranquility, as it navigates through uncertain times with an unsteady leader at its helm.
1. Where Is Thy Victory?:  Prolog

PROLOGUE

The year was 2257. The ship was the USS _Farquhar_. Its shield had collapsed and hull began buckling under the continued attacks of the advancing Tholian fleet. A survey of the border region had turned disastrous after four Tholian ships had emerged. While the _Farquhar_ remained free of their web, the incredible punishment the Tholians had dealt her had left her dead in space.

Consoles sparked and conduits blew apart in Engineering. Inside, there was little – if anything – to salvage, save the trapped engineers. Out of the wreckage emerged Lieutenant – till recently Ensign – Joseph Sangster, with an injured crewman slung over his shoulder. He carefully placed his comrade at the medical team's feet. Among them was his friend in Medical, Ensign Selik.

"Here, Selik. I'll go back in and…"

The Vulcan grabbed Sangster's shoulder as he turned. "No, Sangster. The omicron radiation…"

"It's still at 700 Bq, isn't it? That's still safe – for now. If I don't help our trapped comrades, they won't stand a chance."

A silence passed between the two. Sangster spoke up again. "I know what I'm doing. Close the doors when it reaches 1K. I'll try to get as many crewmen out as I can before then. Got it?"

A quick nod indicated more than words could say. Selik kept his eye on the tricorder's readout. 740 Bq. 750 Bq. 780 Bq.

More and more crew emerged from the door, helped along by Sangster and other engineering officers. All the while the radiation count increased, monitored by Selik. 820. 839. 874. Five minutes in and it was already at 938 Bq.

Just as Sangster was about to reach the door again, disaster struck. A disruptor burst from the Tholians brought the roof caving down – with the lieutenant caught in the middle. Selik rushed to his friend to aid him. Just before Selik could cross the threshold into Engineering, Sangster held out his hand, and then brought it firmly down.

He weakly croaked, "The doors – the doors – close them…" as he waved his arm down again, then collapsed under the immense strain of the debris on his back.

Selik turned away as he struck the console, shutting the blast doors. As they fell, so did he, crouched by the closed egress, mulling over the fate of his friend – his _t'hy'la_. Whether or not the _Farquhar_ survived, he knew one man who would not return with it.


	2. Where Is Thy Victory?: Act 1

ACT ONE

"…_In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed._

_For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality._

_So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory._

_Death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"_

Thus the chaplain closed his prayers for a number of the fallen crew of the _Farquhar_. Standing in the massed crowd, containing the surviving staff of the _Farquhar_ along with the relatives of the fallen crew, were Joseph's brother, Phillip, recalled from the UESPA vessel SS _Gautama Siddha_, and their father, Charles Sangster. As the final coffin fired forth from Starbase 43, the crowd slowly exited the torpedo bay to the main hall.

In the main hall, Phillip sat alone at a table, giving cursory replies to the various guests giving their condolences. After a while, his father drew up a chair across the table, placing his pickings from the reception on it.

The elder man spoke up. "Now, Phillip. We need to talk…about your career."

Phillip leaned forward, resting his temple on his hand. He spoke with a certain apprehension. "I thought we already agreed on this, Dad. I'm staying in UESPA."

"Not any more you're not. I've enlisted you in Starfleet."

"What?"

This sudden exclamation had brought a sudden hush to the hall, which the general murmur of conversation quickly replaced as soon as it had been broken.

Phillip spoke again, this time in a terse, hushed tone, "What is this? You can't just make me go into Starfleet? Is it just because Joseph died-"

"-died a _hero_…"

"…, so now I have to take up a career in Starfleet in his place?

The elder Sangster sat straight up and looked his son in the eye. "What this is about is your career. You'll never get anywhere puttering about where everyone's already been. The only way you'll get ahead is if you stay on the edge of the frontiers of exploration. I just want-"

"What? 'The best for me'? You don't know that! You've always been assuming what I want. Every-single-time!"

"Son, you don't know what the competition's like in your field…"

"And I don't care! Why is _that_ so difficult for you to understand? I don't want or _need_ to be the best or the greatest at anything."

"I care because you don't, Phillip. You'll go nowhere fast if you don't look forward. I've made my decision and that's final. You'd better be at Starfleet Academy by the next intake. Goodbye."

With that, Charles Sangster had gotten up, leaving his son alone at the table once again, to consider his future – and how it would unfold.

ACT I, SCENE 2

2270, Rigel VIII, Station Tereshkova, Mess Hall 3.

Lieutenant Commander Thy'balt th'Kallar, known to all as Kallar, a large, gregarious Andorian and Security Chief aboard the USS _Tranquility_, was regaling his crew with yet another story from years past.

"So, there I was, with my back to the wall and three Klingons up to no good. Before one of them could pull a disruptor on me, I rushed the shortest one, and with a little flip, I sent him careening into the biggest one. The last one had his disruptor out by then…Mr. Casimir! What would you do?"

The young security officer was evidently taken aback by this sudden question. "Well, sir, I guess I'd try to wrestle it out of his hand…?"

"Close, Ensign, but no cigar. I distracted him first…how, Eriksson?"

The fair-haired lieutenant responded, "Well, seeing as you were on a Class P planet, I'm assuming you flung some snow in his face?"

"Outstanding. Once I got the disruptor out of his hand, that _petaQ_ ran off, and the rest, as they say, is history."

Elsewhere, one science branch lieutenant turned with a snide smile to an ensign, "If you ask me, I bet there was one Klingon. And he didn't even have a disruptor out."

Suddenly, a voice boomed forth from behind everyone.

"I'd be inclined to believe him, gentlemen; seeing as he saved my life by taking on those three."

At the familiar sound of the Captain's voice, the crew in the mess hall all hastened to stand up.

"Captain."

"Captain."

"At ease, gentlemen."

With that and a wave, the crew resettled into their chairs. Captain George Hopkins walked up to the table where his security chief was still regaling his subordinates with his expedition on Kruger 60 III.

"Well, Kallar, I see you're still going on about those three Klingons."

"A good story bears repeating, Captain…Won't you take a seat?" asked Kallar, gesturing to the empty chair opposite.

"Oh, no. I just decided to come in here to check on the crew. Do remind them that we're setting off in two hours, will you?"

"Yes, sir. And Sangster…?"

"He should be arriving just about now. I'll meet him in the transporter chamber. In the meantime, how about the time we met those Kzinti at Gamma Hydra? That one's always a good story."

"Aye, sir," replied Kallar, with a broad grin on his face.

With that, Captain Hopkins left the room, the crew once again standing to attention as he did so. During the long walk down to the transporter room, a few more of his officers and crewmen passed him by, offering greetings and salutes. Before long, he was in Transporter Room B, and awaiting his science officer.

In a few minutes, Phillip Sangster, science officer of the USS Tranquility had materialized on the transporter platform.

"Evening, Captain."

"Evening, Commander. How's your father?"

"Same as ever, sir. In good health."

"Good to hear, Mr. Sangster. The crew are in Mess Hall 3, if…"

To this, Sangster replied weakly, "…No, I don't think so. I'd better check the ship's systems…but if you insist…"

Hopkins took Sangster by the shoulder as the two headed down the corridor towards Mess Hall 3.

"I _do _insist, Mr. Sangster. Come, I'm sure Kallar's still talking about our encounter with the Kzinti."

"All right, sir."

Just as the two were about to enter the mess hall, the communicator panel by the door chimed twice. Sangster stepped forth to answer it, but his captain intervened.

A sonorous, female, voice came through. "Tranquility _Bridge to Captain Hopkins._"

"Captain speaking. What is it, Ms. T'kal?"

"_Message from Starfleet Command, Priority Alpha. Captain's eyes only._"

"I'll receive it in my quarters. Tell Mr. O'Neill to prepare for transport."

"_Aye, sir_."

Hopkins turned back to Sangster. "Well, I'd better go see what the matter is. In the meantime…"

"All right, sir."

With that, the two men parted ways, one willingly towards duty and the other ambivalently towards respite.


	3. Where Is Thy Victory?: Act 2

ACT II, SCENE 1 

USS _Tranquility_, Captain's Quarters.

Captain Hopkins sat in his chair, considering the bizarre yet deadly message he had just received. As though to convince himself that it existed, he rewound the recording, listening closely to each and every word the Romulan on screen had to say. This marked the third (maybe fourth) use of the diplomatic channel since…well, since the first incursion, so many years ago.

The voice of the Romulan was as impassive as her expression, neither seeming to reveal or conceal all at once – a quality common to many of her kind. With slow deliberation, she spoke.

"_Dear Members of the Federation, we use this diplomatic channel to inform you of an incident within the Romulan Empire. Members of a dissident group calling themselves the 'True Sons of the Emperor' have stolen an experimental Bird-of-Prey. They have already caused havoc within our borders, and we believe they now have intentions of striking at the Federation, likely along the Neutral Zone border. We have little other information on their strength, structure or other intentions at this moment. We are now transmitting blueprints of the stolen Bird-of-Prey. Romulus out."_

This was followed by a slide-show of the aforementioned blueprints in ventral, dorsal, port and side views, all translated into English. By all indications the Bird-of-Prey, classified as the Type 74, was more than a match for any Federation ship – even the _Tranquility_, as much as Hopkins hated to admit it. Its zero-to-impulse was impressive, and its maneuverability far outclassed any of its contemporaries. It was even equipped with some new type of plasma torpedo, which was more accurate and more effective than its predecessors.

In light of the crisis, the _Tranquility_ had been assigned to protect Starbase R-13, commanded by Hopkins' old friend Commodore Zapotero. They weren't the only ship in range, of course; the _Ajax_, a _Hermes_-class refit scout, would arrive about four hours after them.

After turning these facts over in his mind a few times, Hopkins sat up and reached for the desk console.

"_Captain Hopkins to USS _Tranquility, _NCC-1969, crew. Shore leave is terminated, effective immediately. Mr. Sangster, Mr. Kallar to report to Captain's quarters. Alpha shift bridge staff to the bridge. Captain Hopkins out."_

Station Tereshkova, Mess Hall 3

The announcement had galvanized the crew of the USS Tranqulity into a flurry of activity, and all headed immediately towards the transporters in neat rows. As he was heading towards the transporter room with the rest of the staff, Sangster found Kallar in the middle of the crowd.

"Evening, Kallar."

"Evening, Commander. What do you think the Captain's calling us early in for?"

"Well, he had to go receive an Alpha priority message, I think."

"Any idea what it's about?"

"Not really."

With a grunt of affirmation and a shrug, Kallar and Sangster continued their way down the hallway, passing by officers and crewmen alike. Within the crowd was some of the aforementioned alpha shift bridge crew. Among them were the Tranquility helmsman Ian Carson, barely a year out of the academy and his friend Matthew Sherman, the navigator.

Sherman turned to Carson and remarked, "I hear we're disembarking early because the skipper received some alpha priority message."

"Oh, really? Where'd you hear that from?"

"The XO and LTCOM Kallar were just talking about it."

Carson frowned at this news. "Well, I just hope it isn't anything too serious. We just had that run-in with the Orion marauders before we pulled in to Station T."

At this, Sherman turned with a certain scorn. "Anything too serious? I didn't sign on to Starfleet to catalogue anomalies and nebulae, let me tell you that."

"You're fifty years too late with that kind of mentality, you know."

"Well, maybe I should've been around fifty years ago."

To which the former responded, "My dad's a vet of the old Klingon war – y'know, the one back in the 2-20's – and from what I've heard from him, I'm just glad I'm in this decade and not that one."

With that, they both stepped into the transporter room and headed towards the Tranquility and duty.

ACT II, SCENE 2 

_Captain's log, Stardate 7548.15. We are approaching the Neutral Zone and Starbase R-13 after a 2-hour trip. All senior staff have been notified of our impending mission._

Commander Lloyd Farrell, CMO of the USS _Tranquility _and nearly as old a friend to Captain Hopkins as Kallar was, was making the final preparations for the impending emergency. The nurses and crew were still preparing all of the sickbay beds and sorting the hyposprays and other equipment out. As he was in the middle of ordering his chief nurse to distribute the tools evenly, the door chimed.

Farrell turned to the sickbay door. "Come in."

It opened to reveal the captain.

"Morning, Mr. Farrell."

"Captain! We were just about to finish the preparations."

"Good, good. Lloyd, do they need you right now?"

"Well, I'm sure Nurse Jalene can take care of things quite fine. Am I right, Nurse?", asked the CMO, as he looked over his shoulder.

A female voice rang out from within the sickbay. "Yes, sir."

With that, the two men left the room, and headed towards Farrell's own quarters, a stones' throw away from the medical facilities. Hopkins took a seat on Farrell's bed while Farrell drew up a chair opposite. Neither man spoke, the captain instead silently turning over matters in his head. It was Commander Farrell who broke the silence.

"Permission to speak freely, sir."

"Hm? Go ahead, Lloyd."

"You, sir, seem like a man with a problem."

"That's probably right. It's about this mission, Lloyd. It's this feeling I've got about it – something I haven't felt since…"

"Since your first command, when we had to fight off the Rigellian Chelons and their mercenaries? You got us out of that one, George, and every single time after that. This time…even if things turn serious…won't be any different. You'll find a way. You always do."

Hopkins turned to Farrell, with emotion visible in his eyes.

"No. It's not just that. It's not mere apprehension, or uncertainty. It's a sense of…inevitability. I can feel it. Something terrible will happen and I won't…or I can't stop it. You've seen how that Bird-of-Prey handles…"

"With all due respect, captain, we still outclass them in at least one way – some say the most important one."

"And what's that?"

"They don't have you at the helm."

A weak smile formed across the captain's face, but he said nothing, merely shaking his head.

Commander Farrell pressed on. "At the risk of trumpeting you a little, I doubt that there would be any man, captaining any ship, with any crew, right here and now better than you, and her, and all of us to deal with this. These past five years have proven that more than any amount of braggadocio could and you know that. If you've come here for my advice, Captain George Thomas Hopkins, I can only tell you this: go out, and get them."

A moment of silence passed. With slow deliberation, the captain spoke. "Thank you, Lloyd. I…"

Before he could finish his sentence, the intercom beeped.

"_Com…Commander Sangster to Captain Hopkins. We're near R-13, and about to jump out of warp."_

"Acknowledged, Commander. I'll head to the bridge ASAP. Captain out."

With that Captain Hopkins stood up and headed for the door. Before he exited, he turned back to face his CMO.

"Well, , I'd say it's time we all got to duty."

"Aye, sir."

"Also, if this turns out to be all bark and no bite, I'd say Commodore Zapotero wouldn't mind some guests," Hopkins said, with a smile.

"This time Kallar had better remember to bring the Andorian ale, that's all I'm saying."

With laughter on both ends, both men left for their stations.

USS _Tranquility,_ Deck 1, Bridge

Commander Phillip Sangster fidgeted in his chair, tapping away at his clip-pad and attempting to clear the remaining paperwork – in a manner of speaking. If there as one field where the science officer excelled at, it was in the ship's bureaucracy. Most of the forms of requisitioning new equipment after the Orion encounter had been sent off while he was visiting Earth, and by the looks of things had been processed well enough. All that remained was the bookkeeping.

With a chime, the turbolift arrived at the bridge, interrupting Sangster's abecedarian reverie.

Sangster turned around, seeing Captain Hopkins, and stood bolt upright as he announced: "Captain on the bridge!"

The rest of the crew, including Carson, Sherman and T'kal, followed suit and stood to face the open turbolift with the Captain in it.

"At ease, Mr. Sangster. At ease, all."

Hopkins eased himself into the captain's chair as Sangster made himself useful by heading over to the science station, taking the clip-pad with him.

"Report, Mr. Sangster?"

"Sir, we've exited warp and emerged approximately 20 kilometres from R-13. Awaiting your orders, sir."

Hopkins pondered for a moment.

"Mr. Carson, set an approach for the border of the Zone, but put about 40 km between us and the station. If the Romulans pass between us and R-13, we'll try to catch them in a pincer maneuver."

The helmsman nodded enthusiastically. "Aye, sir."

"Ms. T'kal, please contact Starbase R-13."

"Yes, sir."

The view changed from the withdrawing R-13 to a simply decorated office. The base's commander occupied the main part of the viewscreen. He could've passed off for a younger man, bar the flecks of white at his sideburns and the deep wrinkles around his eyes. Hopkins greeted his old friend with a smile.

"Commodore Zapotero. Good to see you again."

The commodore adopted a grimmer attitude. "Good to see you too, Captain Hopkins. I do wish it were under more fortunate circumstances."

"Agreed. Our plan is to be within striking range – about 40 kilometers, and if possible, catch them between your defences and ours."

"Sounds like a plan. I'm going to review the armaments. Zapotero out."

The viewscreen reverted to the starscape dotted with the lone outpost. Hopkins turned towards his communications officer.

"Prepare for shipwide announcement, Ms. T'kal."

She nodded response. The captain returned the gesture, then using as balanced a tone that he could muster, announced:

"_Now hear this: This is the captain speaking. Prepare and load torpedo bays. Energise phaser banks. Engage tactical thrusters. The Ship is now at yellow alert."_

Officers and crewmen alike headed to their stations. Torpedoes were loaded into their chambers, and phaser banks brought to full power. The amber light marking general quarters began pulsing at every station and every console. Deep within Engineering, Lieutenant O'Neill was directing his subordinates to prepare for the inevitable damage and destruction that came with an attack. The _Tranquility_ was going to war.

ACT II, SCENE 3

"_Captain's Log, Stardate 7548.156. We have been waiting for approximately an hour and there so far is no indication of any ship, Romulan or not. No message from Starfleet Command or the Romulans has confirmed nor denied any attack_..."

Hopkins abruptly stopped the recording and turned to his first officer. "Mr. Sangster, is there something you want to say?"

It was true that Sangster had been weakly raising his hand. "Er, yes sir. I'm detecting some faint traces of C-band radiation."

"What's the bearing?"

He checked the monitor. "230 Mark 2, sir. It might not be anything…"

"On the other hand, it might be something. There are no ships besides us here. Could it be natural?"

"They could be, sir. Too difficult to tell if it is or not."

"Let's err on the side of caution. Conduct a sensor sweep at 230 Mark 2, 13 arc-minute spread. Mr. Carson, turn us in that direction."

"Aye, sir."

As the ship turned about-face, the mood across the entire ship had shifted from lethargy to tension. Shallow breathing and cold sweat accompanied each of the crew at the bridge, at the torpedo bays, at the phaser banks and within the sickbay.

Meanwhile, on the bridge, Sangster read through the sensor readings. His eyes widened and his voice gained a slight stammer.

"Sir, there...there are definite C-band readings. And ... and they're consistent with the Romulan FTL."

For a moment there was silence, as Hopkins considered the situation. He broke the silence as quickly as it had quietened all the voices on the bridge.

"Ms. T'kal. Send a message to Starfleet Command. Tell them their bird's here. Inform R-13 too. Activate shipboard intercom."

A few keystrokes later, the communications officer turned to the Captain. "Done, sir. Anytime you are ready."

Hopkins spoke. _"We have positive proof of Romulan incursion. Ship is now at red alert."_

With that, the amber lights shifted to a deep crimson colour, and the klaxons once again blared with the alert signal. Suddenly, Sangster's yell rang out.

"Sir, look!"

All turned to the viewscreen. The Bird-of-Prey had uncloaked, weapons bristling. The familiar bird pattern painted on its hull was unmistakeable from this angle. The intruder headed straight at the Tranquility, with its disruptor cannons blazing. The battle had begun.


	4. Where Is Thy Victory?: Act 3

ACT III, Scene 1

Hopkins rallied, and the bridge crew snapped out of their daze just as quickly.

"Open fire, Mr. Carson. Give them a round of phasers, then open with the torpedoes – on the double!"

"Yes-sir!"

Two phaser beams fired forth – to no avail. The round of torpedoes uselessly careened past the aft of the all too swift Bird-of-Prey, exploding far from either ship. In one deft move, the Bird-of-Prey swept right over the port prow of the _Tranquility_, and was soon out of view.

Sangster burst out. "What're they trying to do, sir?"

Hopkins responded, "They're trying to get behind us, that's what. Turn us around, Mr. Carson! Aft starboard and port bow, now!"

"Yes, sir! Activating thrusters!"

A small set of boosters on the port bow and the starboard of the secondary hull fired, and the Tranquility had revolved on its axis in a matter of seconds, ready to face their attacker again. The Bird-of-Prey, although faster than its target, had to steer in a wide curve, in which time the Tranquility got a few salvoes in. The phaser bursts dissipated upon hitting the deflector shields.

The two ships sped towards each other, prows opposite, and weapons blazing. The bridge of the Tranquillity was beginning to shake around a fair bit. Then, just as they came head-on, the Bird-of-Prey began to dive…then faded out of vision.

Sangster cried. "They've re-cloaked, sir!"

"Acknowledged. Quick, Mr. Carson – fire torpedoes in as wide a burst as you can –"

Before the order could be followed, the whole ship shuddered from the impact of multiple plasma torpedoes. The first two took their shields down. The rest of the salvoes were targeted at the weapons systems. Chaos ensued in the secondary hull as bays and banks both felt the full brunt of the Romulan attack. One of the torpedo bays exploded spectacularly along with its entire payload, creating a huge gash in the side of the ship.

Bodies were soon being carted to the sickbay from the rest of the ship as fast as Farrell and the medics could handle them. Gesturing for the nurses to tend to the patients first, the CMO headed towards the closest panel.

"Farrell to bridge."

"_Bridge here."_

"We're filling up with casualties here. Request permission to expand facilities to adjacent rooms."

"_Approved, Mr. Farrell."_

Hopkins turned around the science station, where his first officer was desperately tapping away at the console.

"Any luck repowering those shields, Mr. Sangster?"

"I think…yes!" Sangster cried. "Shields are up to 38%, sir."

"Outstanding. Keep scanning for our invisible foe."

Minutes passed. It seemed as if that the Romulans were keeping just within sensor range, giving a pulse here, an energy trace there. Several minutes of this hide-and-seek followed. Slowly but surely, the Romulans were pulling the _Tranquillity_ further and further away from R-13. There was no choice but to keep flying into the trap – if they lost the Romulans now, they'd attack elsewhere, and this time with no chance of warning.

Then, the Bird-of-Prey struck again. Uncloaking at the port-side blind spot, the Bird-of-Prey opened up with another salvo. The 38% of shields that Sangster had strived to build up was undone in an instant. A plasma torpedo ripped through the port pylon, rendering the nacelle itself inert.

O'Neill came on through intercom. _"Sir, we've lost the port nacelle and warp speed with it. I'll attempt to repair it but it'll take time."_

"Understood, Mr. O'Neill." Hopkins gestured towards his helmsman. "Mr. Carson, try moving us at impulse."

The engines powered up, trying to push the ship forward, but were stopped by a greater force. The Romulans had caught them in their tractor beam. Resignation quickly swept through the bridge. The Tranquillity had been outmanoeuvred and outgunned. The predator was now only playing with its prey.

Hopkins turned towards the comm. station. "Ms. T'kal, broadcast this message across the ship."

"_Now hear this; this is the Captain speaking. The USS _Ajax_ will only arrive within the next hour. Until then, we will have to continue the fight ourselves. Engineering, repair all essential systems, beginning with shields, engines –warp and impulse – and only then the weapons. Close all bulkheads. Sickbay, expand facilities as far as you need to in order to intercept casualties. Mr. Kallar, dispatch a security complement to every deck in proportions you see fit. Prepare to repel boarders."_

Messages of acknowledgement from all departments came through. Hopkins moved over to the science station.

"Mr. Sangster, keep track of all transporter signals. We'll be able to help the security team that way."

Sangster nodded. "Aye, sir."

He turned back to the console, while the bridge crew nervously awaited the next turn of events.

ACT III Scene 2

All over the ship, heavy blast doors slammed shut. Grey-sleeved officers and crewmen armed with phaser pistols and rifles, headed down hallways and corridors. Leading them was Kallar, the security chief. After a quick exchange of orders and a few hand gestures, the crews split up, spreading across the decks.

The familiar shimmer of the transporter beam began to appear throughout the ship, followed by squads of Romulans clad in black jumpsuits and helmets transporting in. The first wave was easily taken down, but the second and third and fourth began piling into the ship before the outnumbered and outgunned security men could react, forcing them to pull back.

Some saboteurs found themselves between two walls and two sealed bulkheads. A timed explosive charge against the blast doors proved effective against this meagre security measure. Without skipping a beat, the intruders kept up their progress. Some moved towards Engineering while others proceeded to make their way to the saucer section, all with clockwork military precision.

One such squad immediately headed towards weapons control. The entrance gave way to another timed charge; it revealed naught but pitch black. Warily, the squad leader stepped in. He was followed by his lieutenant and four others.

Ten steps in, the commander was aware of a distant yell as terrible as it was sudden. He wheeled around, as the rest of the squad did. Despite their eyes having adapted to the dark, they perceived nothing – yet one of their number lay prone on the floor, his helmet ripped off by some great force and a distinct sore growing on his head.

One of the saboteurs asked: "Leader! What is this?"

He responded, "We are in a trap. Stay alert. We must gain total control over weapons systems and life support. Failure cannot be rewarded."

Right after the words were spoken, some cargo containers began to topple from a higher deck, and within a matter of second had fallen upon the troop in a cascade. Four more Romulans fell, pinned down by the heavy containers. Moments later, only their leader remained, wandering alone in the engineering section.

He was about to pull out his communicator and request reinforcements when a stocky but short Engineering officer dived full-tilt at him, wrestling the disruptor out of his hand. A furious struggle ensued between the two. The Romulan was a good fighter, but his martial arts proved ineffective against the natural brawler he faced. A solid blow right in the breadbasket – or the Romulan equivalent – proved decisive, and the Romulan squad leader fell unconscious to the floor. Without skipping a beat, the lieutenant dragged his body off to a corner and pulled out his own communicator.

"Salzmann to O'Neill. I've neutralized one Romulan squad. Over."

"_Acknowledged. Better hide again. Over."_

"Understood, sir. Over and out."

With that, Lieutenant Salzmann slid back into the dark alcove where he'd hidden himself, ready to take on the next wave of Romulans.

USS _Tranquility,_ Deck 1, Bridge

Hopkins moved over to Sangster's science station, addressing the bridge crew as he did so.

"Everyone, I'd advise you stand clear of the centre of the bridge. Carson, reroute your controls to the auxiliary circuits here. Ready phasers if need be. Mr. Sangster, can you activate the magnetic shield?"

As Sangster turned to his console to do so, Sherman turned to Carson, mouthing, "Magnetic shield? Never heard of that one before."

"It's so that any random chap can't just beam into the bridge as they wish. Messes with long-range comms though," responded Carson, as he pulled out his type 2 phaser.

Hopkins now turned towards his communications officer. "Ms. T'kal, order all stations report in."

The Vulcan listened intently through her earpiece for several minutes. Finally, she responded, "The intruders have been stabilized at about deck 11, Captain. Engineering remains untouched, but their defence means that their repairs will take hours at best. Sickbay reports at least 37 casualties and counting. Mr. Kallar reports that security teams are having difficulty maintaining position."

Hopkins considered the situation for a few seconds, before turning back to Sangster.

"Can you isolate the areas where there are only Romulan life-signs, Phil?"

"I...should be able to, sir."

"Good."

At this, the captain's attention now turned to an ensign on the opposite end of the bridge.

"Mr. Ostermann."

The somewhat nervous ensign took a second to snap out of his mood. "Yes-sir?"

"Once Mr. Sangster gives the report, I want you to flood all appropriate areas with the anaesthetic gas. Authorization Hopkins-5-9-39."

The computer beeped in response. A few short minutes later, Sangster turned his head over towards the security station.

"Mr. Ostermann, prepare anaesthetic gas for the following decks."

ACT III Scene 3

USS _Tranquility, _Lower decks

Nerve gas began spouting from the overhead pipes throughout the ship. Clouds of the dense and thick gas quickly spread throughout the decks and section, downing a few Romulans before the majority of the strike force could put on their gas masks. The intruders that subsequently beamed in already did so with sufficient protection; it was evident that they had prepared too well for any sudden upset.

Several squads, after using the shaped charges on the Jeffries tubes, began the climb upwards, managing to outflank some of the security squads. When Kallar's own security team were attacked from the flank, he ordered them into the corridor corner, while he provided covering fire. One of the security ensigns was beginning to panic.

"Sir, we're getting cornered! At this rate, the Romulans are going to get everywhere! Game over, man, game-"

Kallar took him by the shoulder.

"Mr. Chandra! I assure you if you maintain this attitude they will. Calm down; we still have a few tricks up our sleeve."

At this, Kallar took out his spare phaser, turned it to overload, and threw it in the midst of the attacking Romulans. Seconds later, a massive explosion rocked throughout the corridor, leaving half a dozen stunned and dead Romulans in its wake. Kallar turned back to Chandra.

"There you go, son. These Romulans aren't all that much to worry about. Come on, let's go."

With renewed enthusiasm, the security crew got back up and headed back into the fray.

Elsewhere on the ship, several Romulan squads had managed to sneak to deck 9 through Jeffries tubes and other devious means, and were now within a stone's throw from Sickbay. The security teams they encountered were dealt with first by an electromagnetic pulse weapon to disorient them combined with old-fashioned calcium flare grenades, followed by the Romulans' sheer strength of numbers. A shaped charge blew down the Sickbay door as it had done for all the other obstacles. The door collapsed to reveal doctors and nurses all treating patients, with CMO Farrell at their fore.

He blurted out, "Nurse-"

Before he could get another syllable out a disruptor burst struck him in the chest. As his lifeless body fell to the floor the Romulans opened with volley after volley of disruptor fire. The nurses and crew didn't stand a chance. Even the wounded in Sickbay were not spared as the intruders took deliberate care to destroy all life-support equipment. Some who tried to hide were vaporized along with their cover.

Within minutes, there were none alive in Sickbay or any other of the medical facilities. All had perished in the assault.

USS _Tranquility,_ Deck 1

A small squad of Romulans, totalling six or so, had snuck past the defences laid by the Tranquility staff, and had thus made their way into the turbolift, which now was just outside the bridge. As the demolition expert planted the shaped charge on the door, some of the intruders mouthed a silent prayer; there was no backup for this mission – it was either total success or complete failure. Nothing but total extermination of the bridge crew would be acceptable.

Inside the bridge, the Romulan activity had not gone unnoticed. The crew nervously hid behind the consoles and chairs with their phasers drawn, awaiting the inevitable blast and charge. The electronic beeping of the shaped charge, counting down to the unavoidable, was also audible through the door. All exchanged glances at each other as they listened to the repetitive yet short-lived beeps.

_Beep. Beep. Beep. _

The turbolift door exploded with great force. The remnants of the door flew into the centre of the room, with one panel striking the captain's chair, bending out of shape. Mist began to pour forth from the interior of the turbolift. The brief pause after the explosion was followed by volleys of rapid disruptor fire, which the bridge crew responded in turn with phaser fire. Neither struck home until the Romulans slowly began advancing from the lift.

The Starfleet crew were simply underprepared to deal with a full-scale attack. The Romulans first struck home with Ensign Ostermann. His body had not even struck the floor before a disruptor burst struck T'kal square in the chest, killing her instantly. Hopkins stared in horror at the loss of two of his crew in front of him. A double-tap stun burst from him dealt with two Romulans.

Sangster and Carson were having less luck, neither being that experienced with a phaser. Their wild shots struck naught but the walls of the bridge. The Romulans, now also using the bridge consoles as cover, began trading volleys with the remaining crew. In a moment of poor luck, Sherman emerged to fire at the same time as one intruder did. The Romulan had faster reflexes, and Sherman was done for.

Carson dashed towards his fallen friend. The two were able to trade a single glance before Sherman's eyes glazed over. The life ebbed from him as his head slowly drooped towards the floor. Carson shut his eyes for a moment, before turning back into the fray, stunning the Romulan that had killed his friend. There were only three more left, facing Hopkins, Sangster and Carson. The leader of the intruders flung a calcium flare into the midst of the barricade.

All exploded into blinding brightness. Sangster's vision cleared just in time to see the squad leader raise his disruptor...directly at Captain Hopkins.

Time seemed to crystallise in that very moment. His hand seemed to weigh half a tonne as he raised it to aim his phaser. The Romulan finger around the disruptor rifle's trigger tightened. Mere instants later, Sangster fired. It was too late. The disruptor burst caught the Captain square in the chest. It was poor consolation that the Romulan was stunned directly after he had dealt the killing stroke.

As though from far away, Sangster heard his own voice. "Captain!"

His captain, having taken the full brunt of the disruptor fire, lay on the floor, barely conscious. As Sangster turned towards his fallen chief, he was barely aware of Carson having dealt with the other two marauders. Sangster stood up and dashed towards Hopkins.

"Captain...!"

Hopkin's head lolled as he tried to turn it towards his first officer.

"_Phil. Don't...don't..."_

A choked cough burst from his lips, followed a small gob of blood. Even speaking took a massive effort. His entire body heaved as he coughed out his last words.

"_Don't...let them...take...the ship..."_

Hopkins raised his hand and gestured towards one of the consoles. Sangster's eyes followed it. It was the self-destruct. With a tear streaming from his eye, Sangster nodded once, then twice. The hand fell to the floor with thud. A final groan marked the passing of Hopkins' life from his body. Sangster remained knelt, with his captain's body cradled in his arms. Captain George Thomas Hopkins, commander of the USS _Tranquility_ for half a decade and hero of a thousand missions was no more.


	5. Where Is Thy Victory?: Act 4

ACT IV Scene 1

USS _Tranquility,_ Deck 1, Bridge

Carson got up and dashed towards the grim tableau in front of him. Sangster slowly let the Captain's body gently slide down to the floor, and then pocketed the phaser. As he turned to the last surviving member of his bridge crew, he wiped his eye with the sleeve of his tunic. Carson was the first to speak.

"Commander?"

Sangster shook his head, and had to wait several moments to find the words.

"The Captain...he's gone, Carson. He's gone."

The strain of the realization was nearly too much for the commander, and he collapsed into the chair next to the console that the captain had gestured to in his last breath. He glanced at the computer with at great length, contemplating this final measure and its full impact. The helmsman had scrambled to his side, and also was looking at the same console.

"Commander, you mean..."

"It was his last order, Mr. Carson. We can't let the Romulans take the ship. But..."

"But?"

"I can't do it, Mr. Carson."

The helmsman looked on quizzically. "What do you mean, sir?"

"_I meant I can't do it!"_

The sudden outburst by the first officer – now the captain – took Carson by surprise. Before he could speak another word, Sangster had continued with his spiel.

"I'm not the man that Captain Hopkins was! He could stare Death in the face and spit at it! He could boldly stand firm as he watched everything go to Hell around his ears! I can't do that! I can't bear that! A hundred and fifty lives, all in my hands – the power to save them or the responsibility for their loss! All my life I've been nothing but a glorified desk jockey – and now this! It's too much, Mr. Carson. Too much!"

Carson watched his commander's rant in total silence. What words could he, a mere ensign, say to convince him otherwise? Nonetheless, he tried.

"Well, er, sir, it was the skipper's last order. You're just carrying it out. Sir."

"Maybe that's what the problem is, isn't it? I've just been following other people's orders...and now that I've the initiative, all I can do with it is the captain's idea."

"Well, sir, if you're going to have a breakdown, I will carry out the skipper's order, like it or not. Sir."

A few moments passed in silence. Commander Sangster looked at the downed captain, then the console, all in unspoken contemplation. Finally, he spoke up again.

"But why this last measure? Why destroy the ship? Wouldn't the Romulans just come back again?"

"Maybe they'll give up if they fail here, sir."

Sangster grabbed his temples as he sat pondering the mystery of his captain's final order. After a while, realisation dawned on him. His entire countenance seemed to undergo a change. With a bright face, he turned towards Carson.

"Of course! Go to the comm. station, Mr. Carson. Try to get O'Neill. Ask if the escape pods still work."

"I'll try, sir."

The ensign headed over to the communications station and tried to operate the console. After a few attempts, he hesitatingly spoke into the headset.

"Come in, Commander O'Neill."

There was silence for a few seconds. Finally, a voice came through.

"_Hello? Who is this?"_

Sangster scrambled over. "That's not O'Neill!"

The voice responded. _"Commander Sangster! This is Lieutenant Salzmann. O'Neill didn't make it, sir; the Romulans got the better of him."_

The commander grabbed his temple as he was struck by the sting of failure. He responded, "Lieutenant Salzmann."

"_Yes, sir?"_

"Do the escape pods still work?"

"_Yes-sir. But..."_

"We intend to activate the self-destruct in five minutes, Mr. Salzmann. Try to evacuate all staff by then."

"_With all due respect, sir, we won't. We'll lose the ship if we bail out."_

"The ship is lost, Mr. Salzmann. The Romulans have gotten to the bridge once – god knows where they'll strike next. The Captain..."

"_...I see. I'll try to get the crew out."_

"Keep a lid on it, but spread the evacuate order. Understood?"

"_Yes...sir. Salzmann out."_

With that, silence reigned on the bridge once again.

Sangster spoke up. "Get sickbay. Maybe Farrell can help us."

"Aye, sir."

This time, there was no response for nearly a minute. With each attempt, the sweat on Sangster's brow only grew thicker. At long last, an unfamiliar voice broke through the static.

"_This is Ensign Casmir. What is it, Commander?"_

Sangster's eyes narrowed and his tone grew closer to the edge of panic with each question. "Who is this? Where's the CMO? What's going on?"

"_Well, sir..."_

"What?"

"_Sir, there's nobody in Sickbay."_

"What do you mean?"

Casmir's voice grew shakier with every word. _"The Romulans...all of them...everybody...they, they..."_

Utterly defeated, Sangster fell further into his chair, attempting to contemplate the sheer horror implied by those words. Even this last gambit was doomed to failure.

ACT IV Scene 2

USS _Tranquility_, Lower decks

Kallar was still with his security squad, attempting to lay suppressive fire on the advancing Romulans – with limited success. If the intruders reached a roadblock, they simply transported away, returning to harangue the _Tranquility_ crew. The secondary hull save Engineering and the nacelles was lost, and the security teams were having difficulty holding even the neck section.

Suddenly, his communicator chimed. As he removed it from his belt to answer, Kallar gestured to Lt. Hynemann to hold the fort.

"Kallar here."

"_Thank the Lord!-I mean, Sangster here. Need to speak in private."_

Kallar took a few steps away from the barricade and spoke through in a hushed tone.

"What is it, sir?"

"_Captain Hopkins..."_

His eyes widened as Sangster's voice trailed off. "What's happened to him?"

"_The Romulans. They...they got him. His final command was to activate the self-destruct."_

Still reeling in shock, Kallar asked, "Why? If we destroy the ship, they'll just come back."

"_That's it. It was always the ship! If the Romulans just wanted to cause destruction..."_

"They'd head straight to R-13 – or destroy us the instant our shields were down! The question, sir, is _why_."

"_I don't know, but this isn't the time to speculate. How soon can you get to the bridge?"_

"About 5 minutes or so, sir."

"_Spread the word. Evacuate in 8."_

"Understood...captain." The title seemed strange even as Kallar spoke it.

Without a second thought, Kallar went back to the barricade, whispering the command into his subordinate's ears. Once done, he rushed down the corridor to get to the bridge, knowing that every second counted. He encountered resistance in the form of several marauding Romulan parties, and dealt with them using a combination of throws, punches and phaser bursts, leaving stunned and dazed Romulans in his wake.

USS _Tranquility_, Bridge

Sangster and Carson mulled on the bridge, loosely holding on to their phasers and looking up at the door occasionally. Both men were deep in thought but unwilling to give voice to them. Sangster's eyes glanced across to the fallen Captain, then back to the door. A weary hand wiped a tired brow as he pondered what had gone before and what would come.

His reverie was interrupted by a sound at the burst turbolift door. The two men scrambled to the turbolift shaft, and sure enough, it was Kallar.

A few short moments later, the Andorian had reached the top of the shaft and pulled himself up to the bridge. His step hastened as he reached the body of his brother and captain. He softly muttered an Andorian chant as his strong but gentle fingers closed Hopkins' eyes. Kallar slowly stood back up and headed to the console, grimly silent as he did so. At last, he turned to Sangster and spoke.

"Let's finish this."

"...Yes. Let's. Computer, engage auto-destruct initiation."

A few beeps and whistles later, the familiar synthesized voice of the computer sounded.

"_REQUEST FIRST BRIDGE OFFICER'S SECURITY CODE."_

"Commander Phillip Sangster. Destruct code 10-5-23."

"_VOICEPRINT VERIFIED. REQUEST SECOND BRIDGE OFFICER-"_

"Lieutenant Commander thy'Balt th'Kallar. Destruct code 17-1-6."

"_VOICEPRINT VERIFIED. REQUEST THIRD BRIDGE OFFICER'S SECURITY CODE."_

"Ensign Ian Carson. Destruct code 9-14-5."

"_VOICEPRINT VERIFIED. DESTRUCT SEQUENCE COMPLETED AND ENGAGED. AWAITING FINAL CODE AND COUNTDOWN TIME."_

Slowly, hesitatingly, the words left Sangster's mouth. "Destruct 0-0-0."

A short pause. Kallar and Carson turned to their commander as he reopened his eyes.

"1. Ten minute countdown."

"_FINAL CODE VERIFIED. INITIATE 10 MINUTE COUNTDOWN."_

After blankly staring at the screen for a few moments, Sangster turned to Carson.

"Open a communication channel with the Romulans."

"What if they don't want to talk, sir?"

Kallar spoke up. "They'll want to hear what he has to say, Ensign."

"Aye, sir."

ACT IV Scene 3

Romulan Bird-of-Prey, Bridge

The bridge of the Bird-of-Prey was bustling with activity. The commander's chair was set to the far back of its wall, while the rest of the crew stood at their consoles in front of and below him. Each of the console operators knew their exact mission – whether it was keeping track of the intruder teams, the Tranquility's systems or scanning for long-range communications.

One of the operators, having observed a change on his console, raised his hand. The second-in-command turned away from the commander's chair and gave a nod of approval.

"Speak."

"The Federation ship hails us, Centurion."

"Let us hear."

The English-speaking voice of Commander Sangster came through, quickly followed by the Romulan translation.

"_This is the commander of the vessel USS Tranquility. We have set a countdown of 10 minutes until self-destruct. We are aware of your purpose in attempting to commandeer this ship and refuse to let you succeed. Under no conditions will we cease the countdown unless you withdraw behind the Neutral Zone and surrender yourself to the Romulan authorities."_

As the Romulan echo sounded, the commander's expression grew more and more worried, even to the point of leaving his chair and pacing about. His second-in-command pulled him to one side.

"Commander, it will not do to show such weakness. Not here, not in front of your men."

"What else can I do? The humans have learned our plan!"

"Not so, Commander. They have merely _guessed_ it. This is only a gambit."

The commander pondered the point for a moment, then turned to one of the _tiros_ at the consoles.

"_Tiro_! Scan for signs of self-destruct mechanism."

"At once, sir."

Moments later, the tiro turned back to the commander.

"Their warp drive is engaging in a step process that will result in a breach, Commander. It is no ruse."

Once again, the second-in-command spoke in hushed tones, saying, "Sir, time is clearly of the essence. We must seize the bridge or the engine immediately and stop the countdown, real or not."

"How many men have we lost already? Much of our force is spent, our resources too-"

"We will make a breakthrough soon-"

A flash of anger entered the commander's voice. "Soon? We have no more than one quarter of a cycle! This is too much of a risk."

"We have nothing to lose by their destruction."

"Are you sure, Centurion?", asked the commander. He tilted his head towards another console. "_Milite_!"

The junior officer turned from his station to respond. "Commander?"

"Estimation of damage caused by _Tranquility_ self-destruct?"

"Analysing, Commander."

The pause in the flurry of commands and words was palpable. Commander and subordinate alike stared at each other in silence. When the milite spoke up again, it was as if the bridge had suddenly awakened again.

"Commander."

Snapping out of his silent battle with his centurion, the commander asked, "Yes?"

"Simulation indicates critical damage within 14 dhei-raivus, serious within 28 dhei-raivus..."

"Thank you." With much deliberation, the commander returned to his second-in-command. "You see? I am aborting the mission, effective immediately."

The threat was soft, but all too evident in his subordinate's voice. "If you do, I will report this. Failure is not tolerated. You will pay."

The commander was totally unshaken by this. With infinite calm, he responded, "Until then, I command this ship. Do as I order. _Milite_, open a communications channel."


End file.
